Toro Rosso bids to end Bahrain drought

Toro Rosso will mark 10 years since its Formula 1 debut this weekend in Bahrain but has yet to score a single point at the circuit.

Toro Rosso joined the sport at the Bahrain Grand Prix in 2006, after Red Bull acquired Minardi the previous year, but has been unable to secure a top 10 finish at the Sakhir circuit.

Vitantonio Liuzzi finished in 11th on the team's debut, a result repeated by Daniil Kvyat eight years later, and current drivers Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz Jr. are out to amend that record this weekend.

"The Bahrain circuit has a very long straight – too long last year! – and they overtook me quite a few times there in 2015," Verstappen said, alluding to Toro Rosso's use of Renault power last year.

"It's not a nice feeling and inside your head you're talking to yourself and saying “c'mon, c'mon!”; it's frustrating, but there's not much more you can do when another car is quicker than you.

"In general, it's special to race in the evening, while it's getting dark. Hopefully this year we will score some points there, because Toro Rosso has never scored any in Bahrain! So this is definitely a good target that I will be looking to achieve."

Neither Verstappen nor Sainz finished their first attempt at the Bahrain Grand Prix last season.

"Last year we struggled a bit with top speed, so it was all about getting a lot of traction out of there – I remember this straight being a bit too long for us," said Sainz. "Maybe no longer that much this year!"